


I Heard Your Voice in a Dream (Duet Redux)

by Rod13369



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21536488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rod13369/pseuds/Rod13369
Summary: "Duet" with a Supercorp twist.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 31
Kudos: 242





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching Supergirl to get details for a different project. Got to this episode, and of course my little shipper mind immediately went "Replace Mon-El with Lena!" So...
> 
> Disclaimer: Any recognizable dialogue from the episode belongs to the creative team over at DC/CW.

Lena Luthor can tell something is wrong as soon as the call connects.

 _“Hi Lena.”_ Kara’s voice sounds thick, her tone clearly unhappy. _Is she crying?_

“What’s wrong?”

She hears a sniffle on the other end of the line. _“I… it’s nothing. What--”_

“Bullshit.” Lena hears a small noise from Kara, a squeak or a chuckle that is definitely mixed with a sob. “Where are you?”

_“My place.”_

“I’m on my way.”

Barely fifteen minutes later, Lena knocks on the door of apartment 4A. Thankfully, Kara opens it almost immediately. Lena takes a moment to study her friend, noting the usual neat clothes ( _Only Kara can make pink and white horizontal stripes look that good._ ) and pulled-back blonde locks. Then she catches sight of Kara’s eyes, red-rimmed and teary, and with barely a second thought Lena reaches out to enfold Kara in a hug. Kara doesn’t protest, simply wraps her arms around Lena in return and buries her face in the smaller woman’s neck.

They stay like that for several long moments before Lena remembers that they’re still standing in the doorway of the apartment. She gently rubs her hand up and down Kara’s back. “Can I come in?”

“Oh!” Kara pulls back, chuckling, the sound signaling a step back towards _normal_. “Sorry, yeah.” She steps aside, wiping at her eyes. Lena suddenly realizes Kara isn’t wearing her glasses. _Such blue eyes…_

Shaking herself, Lena walks inside. “Care to tell me what’s going on?” she asks as she sets her purse down on the dining room table. She pulls off her coat as she turns back to her friend. “And don’t try to tell me it’s nothing.” Kara ducks her head, the back of her neck flushing as she closes the door and mumbles something. Lena fights a smirk at the very _Kara_ action. “What was that?”

Kara turns away from the door, but her eyes won’t leave her feet. “I broke up with Mike.”

It takes Lena a moment to figure out how to respond. She never really liked Mike; he’d always been a bit too full of himself, too ready to push his way into any conversation or gathering as if he had a right to be there. (The memory of how he basically invited himself to Lena’s gala _still_ makes her angry.) At first, Kara had seemed to share that opinion, ranting to Lena whenever the overgrown frat boy did something stupid. But Kara is Kara, and gave the man _way_ too many chances, and at some point her stories about him changed to how he was working so hard, how he seemed to finally be growing up. While Lena hadn’t been pleased to learn the pair were dating, she had liked seeing how _happy_ Kara was. Which begs the question… “Why?”

Kara starts fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I… I found out he lied to me. About who he is.”

 _That must have been a hell of a lie,_ Lena thinks. Maybe she can ask… _Later. Comfort Kara now._ “Kara. Hey, look at me.” Reluctantly, the blonde does. Lena notes that she seems more embarrassed than outright upset now; at least the tears have stopped. “It’s okay to be upset. Trust me, I know how it feels to be lied to.”

Kara blushes. “It sucks.”

“It does,” Lena agrees. “Now,” she walks over to her friend and grabs the blonde’s hand, “what would you like to do? Do you want to be by yourself for a bit?” Kara shakes her head emphatically. “Alright, do you want to talk? Watch a movie? How can I help?”

Kara tilts her head slightly, looking at her with those amazing eyes and Lena has the oddest sense of déjà vu. _She looks like…_ “Could we--” A knock on the door cuts her off. Lena jumps at the sudden noise, dropping Kara’s hand. For her part, the blonde turns back to the door, looking at it as if trying to see who’s on the other side. A moment later, she reaches for the knob, opening the door slightly. “Can I help you?”

“ _Here_ you are!” A dark-haired man pushes his way into the apartment. His eyes lock on Lena, and he grins. “Oh good! _You’re_ here too!”

“Excuse me?” Lena doesn’t recognize him, but he certainly acts like he knows her. “Who the hell are you?”

“Oh that’s not important.” He waves his hands as he breezes by, heading for the kitchen area.

“Hey!” Kara appears in front of Lena, snatching the man’s arm to bring him to a halt. “You can’t just come in here--”

“But I just did!” The man turns in Kara’s grasp, his smile widening. “I’ve been looking for you.” Something in his tone sets Lena’s teeth on edge. Then his eyes start… flashing? Is that the right word? Rings of purple and silver radiate out from his pupils. He’s not even looking at Lena and she feels a little lightheaded. Kara drops his arm and starts swaying on the spot. “Now then,” he turns, rubbing his hands together as he studies the apartment, “where is… Aha!” He darts forward, snatching something off the counter. “Just what I need!” He looks back at Lena, still grinning. “Want to see a trick?” He holds up the thing he picked up, a circular, silver device with a glowing blue center. “Abracadabra!” He thumbs the device’s center. Light erupts behind him, a circle of cascading blue and white that looks like water but hangs in midair. _What the hell?_

The man speaks again, his tone that of a stage entertainer. “Ladies, this dimension has been so much fun. I’ve had a blast but I’ve gotta go chase down the fastest man alive. Toodles!” He drops the device and jumps backwards into the light, which flares briefly before disappearing all together. Before Lena can even start to process what’s just happened, Kara collapses.

“Kara!” Lena tries to catch her friend, but only manages to lower her gently to the ground. _How does she weigh that much?_ Lena shakes her head; there are more immediate problems. She quickly checks Kara’s pulse and breathing before digging in the blonde’s pocket for her cell phone. Thankfully, the emergency contact doesn’t require a password. Lena smooths Kara’s hair back as the phone rings once, twice.

_“What’s up, Kara?”_

“Alex, this is Lena Luthor. Something’s happened to Kara.”

* * *

Barry Allen refuses to say it out loud, but he’s kind of glad that HR texted him. Watching musicals on Cisco’s couch hasn’t been as comforting as it normally is, so maybe a good supervillain chase will help pull him out of his funk. _It’s your own fault you know…_

Thankfully, HR’s voice derails that train of thought. “BA? Someone’s comin’ through.”

Looking up, Barry realizes that, yes, there is an active portal in the lab.

“Could be Gypsy,” Cisco says hopefully.

“Yeah,” HR says, although from his tone he doesn’t think so, “or it could be…”

A group of three people appear as the breach collapses. Barry recognizes J’onn J’onzz from Kara’s description, but the other guy is a mystery. However, unconscious in Mystery Guy’s arms … “Kara.” Barry looks at the two men. “What happened to her?”

“We don’t know,” J’onn replies. “But whoever did it has come to this world.”

_Crap._

Looking at Kara lying unmoving on a bed in the S.T.A.R. Labs infirmary has to be one of Barry’s least favorite sights. He can’t decide if it’s better or worse that she’s wearing regular clothes and not her Supergirl suit. Iris enters the room, gives Barry a nod as she comes to a halt by the foot of the bed.

“Her vitals are low,” Caitlin notes as she finishes hooking up the monitors. “How long has she been like this?”

“A few hours,” J’onn replies. At first glance, he appears calm, but a closer reveals tense muscles that betray his worry.

“Okay,” Mystery Guy says, arms folded as he stands next to the bed, “we need to find whoever did this to Kara and punch him repeatedly until he reverses whatever spell he put on her, and I get to punch him first.”

His attitude doesn’t sit right with Barry. “Who are you exactly?”

The guy finally looks up from Kara’s prone form. “My name’s Mon-El. I’m Kara’s… friend.” At Barry’s look, he continues, “We’re more… more than friends.” A pause. “We’ve been kissing a lot.”

“Oh.” Caitlin sounds as surprised as Barry feels. “She never mentioned she had a boyfriend.”

“It’s a recent thing,” Mon-El explains.

J’onn gives him a hard look. “Didn’t you two just break up?”

Mon-El looks ready to argue the point. Thankfully, Iris speaks up first. “So what happened, exactly?”

Mon-El subsides and goes back to looking gloomily at Kara. J’onn turns his attention to Iris. “From what I understand, Kara was at her apartment with a friend when there was a knock on the door. Kara opened the door, and a man pushed his way inside. He somehow hypnotized Kara, found the breach device you gave her, and used it to disappear. Kara passed out when he vanished. Kara’s friend called Alex. Alex and I brought Kara to the DEO, but we couldn’t wake her up. Another agent tracked the man that did this to this Earth, so we decided to bring her here.”

“Okay, but why this Earth?” Iris asks.

“We believe,” J’onn turns his attention to Barry, “he’s looking for you.”

“What? Why, why do you think that?”

“Because,” Mon-El looks up at Barry, “before he disappeared, he apparently mentioned coming to find the fastest man alive.”

 _Well, I wanted a supervillain chase…_ Barry sighs. “Come on.” He motions for J’onn and Mon-El to follow him, unsurprised when Cisco follows. “Do you have any idea where this guy came from?” he asks as he leads them to the main lab area. If they have something that can be entered into the computers…

Sadly, that hope is quickly dashed. “No,” J’onn replies. “Kara’s building isn’t exactly Fort Knox.”

“Uh, guys?” Cisco stares at one of the monitors. “Some dude just literally appeared out of nowhere down in the speed lab.”

Barry, J’onn, and Mon-El hurry over to look. “He matches the description Lena gave,” Mon-El notes.

That’s all Barry needs to hear. “I’ll take care of this.” He switches over to superspeed, grabbing his suit and blasting out of the lab, swerving at the last minute to avoid HR and Wally in the hallway.

When Barry arrives at the speed lab, Mystery Guy 2 is sitting with his feet up on one of the consoles. “Hello, Barry Allen.”

Slowly, Barry moves towards the guy, noting his appearance (dark hair and eyes, business-casual attire) and relaxed posture. “How do you--”

“Know your name?” MG2 scoffs. “I know a lot of things. And I can _do_ a lot of things, too.” A sizzling sound pulls Barry’s attention back to the door as Wally, fully suited up, skids in. “Whoa! Wally West made it here, too! This is _exciting_!” Barry shoots Wally a questioning look, but Wally only gives him a slight nod in reply. “Good of you to join the party, Kid Flash. I’m happy to have you.” Oddly, MG2 sounds like he means it.

“What do you want with Supergirl?” Wally demands.

Barry turns his attention back to their guest as the man replies, “The same thing I want with both of you: To teach you all a lesson.”

Barry barely has time to think, _That can’t be good_ , before MG2 literally speeds out of his chair and collides with Wally, sending the young man into the wall. Wally grunts as he hits the floor.

“Is that all you got, Kid Flash?” the uninvited guest taunts as Wally scrambles upright. “I mean, you look a little scared.”

Barry speeds up behind the man, planning to take him by surprise while his focus is elsewhere. Instead, _Barry_ is surprised when the man turns around and stops him with a hand to the throat. “And you’re too slow.” MG2 lifts Barry by the neck and slams him into the ground. “Nighty-night, Flash,” he says as rings of purple and silver begin to flash in his eyes.

Barry can’t gather his thoughts. His eyes are getting heavy. _What’s happ—_ He blacks out before he can even finish the thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara has no idea how or why she’s here, but for the moment, it’s just easiest to go with the flow. Really, how hard is it to just enjoy singing one of the most beautiful songs on Earth? “Two drifters, off to see the world.” Easy or not, she can’t help looking for an explanation, her eyes darting around the club as she sings, “There’s such a lot of world to see.” Actually, at this point she’d just settle for a nice, convenient exit. Some way back to her apartment, to Lena, who’s probably wondering where she’s gone. Where _has_ she gone? “We’re after the same rainbow’s end. Waiting ‘round the bend.” Her eyes search the room again, scanning for something, anything that looks familiar.

In the middle of the line, “My huckleberry friend,” she finally spots a welcome sight: Barry Allen. He looks as shocked and relieved to see her as she is to see him, and she can only flash him a helpless “I don’t know” look as she croons the final line. The audience breaks into applause, she takes a bow, and as soon as she can manage it she dashes off the stage. Thankfully, Barry’s waiting for her backstage. “It’s you! Thank Rao!” she exclaims as she wraps her arms around him. “Wait,” she pulls back, “it _is_ you, right?”

“Yeah, yeah this is me,” he assures her. “What is--” he looks around, clearly as lost as she is, “Where the hell are we? What’s going on?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” she admits, “or at least tell me why I just pulled an Audrey Hepburn and sang at a nightclub?” She can hear an edge of worry in her voice. _How long have I been gone?_

“Maybe we’re dreaming?” Barry suggests.

“The same dream?” she counters.

He ducks his head, conceding the point. “Yeah, that’s—what’s the last thing you remember before you got here?”

“I was at my apartment. Lena, my friend, had just come over because…” Kara trails off, starts pacing.

“Because…” Barry prompts.

“I was upset,” Kara hedges. She honestly can’t remember if she’s ever even _mentioned_ Mon-El to Barry, let alone that she dated him. “Anyway, we were talking and we were interrupted by a knock at the door. When I opened it, this weird guy just, just _barged_ in. He was kind of creepy actually,” she pauses for a moment, looks directly at Barry, “like, he seemed happy that he’d found me and that Lena was there, too.” The guy’s weird grin forces its way to the front of her memory, causing her to shiver. “It was weird, too, he had this red…” Kara gestures at her chest, her English failing her for a moment.

“Pocket handkerchief?” Barry supplies.

“Yes! Wait,” Kara gets suspicious, “how’d you know that?”

Barry takes a deep breath. “I saw you, on my Earth. You were in a coma. J’onn and your… boyfriend?... brought you to us.”

Kara shakes her head. “He is _not_ my boyfriend. He, he’s just a boy. Who is _not_ my friend. He’s my nothing.”

Barry doesn’t look like he believes her, but he simply nods and says, “Okay. Well, this Mon-El and J’onn said the guy with the red handkerchief whammied you. Then he escaped to my Earth, showed up at S.T.A.R. Labs, I went after him to try to get him to wake you up…”

Kara can tell where this is going. “And then you got whammied,” she sighs.

“Yeah.”

“So where _are_ we?” The worry, which had abated slightly when Barry arrived, comes roaring back.

“I don’t know. I mean, it could be a parallel dimension, or maybe just some elaborate illusion.” Neither option helps the worry. “We just need to figure a way out.”

Kara feels tears pricking at the back of her eyes. Can’t she just catch _one_ break? “I guess I could click my heels together three times.” Oh Rao, her voice wavered.

“Yeah!” Fortunately, Barry didn’t notice the wavering. Then again, he didn’t notice the sarcasm, either.

“I was kidding.”

To his credit, Barry keeps the disappointment off of his face, if not out of his voice. “Oh, okay. Well…” he looks around the backstage area again. “Come on, let’s go…” He heads out into the club proper. With no better plan, Kara follows him.

They make it as far as the bar when they run into the apparent mobster (who Barry claims is the former head of something called the League of Assassins) who runs the club and who also happens to be their boss. _Parallel dimension or illusion, this is one WEIRD place._ Cutter Moran, as he calls himself, is quick with a knife, and as Kara pushes Barry back out of the way she comes to the unfortunate realization that, wherever _here_ is, she doesn’t have her powers. _Great. Just great._

The news that Barry is equally powerless does nothing to ease the sinking feeling in her gut. Then people who look like Winn and Cisco appear, but they don’t sound or act like them, and Kara can suddenly relate to Dorothy Gale on a whole new level. _Rao, I should never have opened the door. Lena and I could have curled up and watched The Wizard of Oz…_ By the time the annoying man who showed up at her apartment appears, Kara just wants to scream.

The annoying man insults her singing, and Kara feels a prickle of anger. Fortunately, Barry has the presence of mind to try to get actual answers. “Why did you bring us here?”

“I didn’t bring you anywhere,” Annoying Man states. “We’re inside your heads. _You_ created this world.” He looks around, as if seeing the place for the first time. “And we got lucky, because it could have been a war movie or a, a space opera, but,” he turns back to them, “thanks to your love of musicals, what with the countless times you watched, um,” he looks right at Kara, “ _Wizard of Oz_ with your adoptive parents--”

The anger grows. “How did you know that?”

Annoying Man merely turns to Barry. “And you: All those rainy nights watching Fred Astaire and Frank Sinatra with Mom. Well, where else would we be?”

_That does it._ Kara takes the two steps necessary to close the gap between them and swings at the man with all her (still considerable) might. He… _flickers_ , like a hologram; her fist goes right through and she stumbles.

“Ooh! Swing and a miss!” he crows as he reappears. “I didn’t tell you: I’m not really here.” Kara shoots a worried look at Barry and gets one in return. “I’m out there in the real world. Central City’s mine for the taking!” He rubs his hands together, like some old-time gangster. Kara would laugh if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“Uh uh! We’re going to stop you!” Barry motions to Kara and himself, and she readily agrees. It’s not her city, but a hero’s a hero.

“You’re welcome to try that, _if_ you can get out of here.”

_Can’t hurt to try._ “How do we get out of here?” Kara asks.

“You’re in a movie musical. So all you have to do is follow the--”

“The Yellow Brick Road?” Even as the words leave her mouth, Kara knows that’s not what he means.

Does he look disappointed at her outburst? “No, the script. Reach the end of the plot, and, presto change-o, you get to go home.” _That doesn’t sound too bad._ “One little detail, though, I should mention: If you die in here, you die out there.”

“Lovely,” Barry mutters.

_First Mxy, now this guy._ “I’ve reached my limit with magical creeps.”

“In the meantime,” Annoying Guy continues, “I hope you’re both ready to get the rust off of those pipes of yours!”

_Oh no!_ “We’re not singing for you!” Barry looks at her. “Any—anymore, I mean,” Kara amends.

The guy acts like she hasn’t spoken. “Oh come on! Maybe just one little,” he starts to take off his jacket, “fun opening number just to,” the jacket comes off and, despite Barry’s protests, gets flung to the side, “kick things off?”

“Where’d it go?” Barry’s question draws Kara’s attention to the fact that the jacket has indeed disappeared, just as Annoying Guy starts to sing. Just like that, Kara finds herself smack in the middle of a song-and-dance routine right out of a, well, a musical. And okay, she knew Winn could sing, so it’s really no surprise that his doppelgänger can, but she has to wonder if Cisco or this Merlyn guy Barry mentioned have such good voices in real life, too. And yes, it’s kind of cool to see something like this actually happen in front of her, but she still gets a little worried when she notices Barry trying to copy the dance moves. _It’s not real_ , she reminds herself, _we’ve got to get out of here!_

The final bars of the song play, and just like the movies, the performers go back about their business as if nothing extraordinary happened. “Where’d he go?” Barry asks.

Kara looks around, but sure enough, Annoying Guy has disappeared again. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, let’s find him.” Barry leads the way off the dance floor, and Kara eagerly follows.

Clearing the first floor takes no time at all, even without powers. Kara leads the way up the stairs to the second floor, heading for the dressing room area she remembers from her first moments in this world. Unfortunately, there’s no one else there. “He’s gone!”

“Yup,” Barry sighs.

“So what do we do now?” Kara hates the way her voice sounds, edging on hysterical, but dang it, she just wants to go _home._

Thankfully, Barry remains calm. “We do what he says, right? I mean, we figure out the plot of the musical and follow the story.”

“Okay.” Kara forces herself to take a deep breath and _calm down._ “Okay, so, so what do we know so far?”

“We’re singers.”

“And apparently we work for a gangster.”

“Who wants us to perform for him. I mean, honestly, it’s pretty straightforward.”

“Right?”

Movement out of the corner of her eye catches Kara’s attention. The sound of guns being cocked ensures she pays attention to the two armed men now standing beside her. _Stupid plot twist._ “I miss being bulletproof,” she tells Barry, lifting her arms.

“You’re coming with us,” one of the thugs states.

“Says who?” Barry asks, perfectly reasonably. Unfortunately, the rules of this… mind movie take this for the stereotypical cue that it is. Kara doesn’t have time to warn him before a third gangster walks up and strikes him on the back of the head, knocking Barry out.

“Says me,” the silver-haired man replies as Barry drops to the floor. The new arrival turns his attention to Kara. She smiles and raises her hands even more. _This is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

This time, Barry comes to on a pile of sacks. “Barry,” Kara says from somewhere nearby, “are you okay?”

_Too loud._ Barry groans. “Please stop shouting.”

“I’m not shouting.” She’s really not; as Barry becomes more aware he realizes that she is, in fact, murmuring.

Barry blinks several times, shielding his eyes with his hand until he gets used to the light. The space around him resembles a warehouse. “Where are we?”

For the first time since he’s known her, Kara looks scared. “I don’t know.”

“Well, I’m sure everybody at S.T.A.R. Labs is working on getting us out of this.”

She nods. “Yeah, I’m glad they brought me to your Earth.”

_Speaking of the people that brought you…_ “So… what’s goin’ on with you and Mon-El? ‘Cause J’onn said something about you two broke up…” _And he doesn’t strike me as being a good fit for you._

Kara groans softly. “I broke up with him because I found out he’s been lying to me for the last nine months.”

“Wait, you’ve been--”

“ _No_ , we haven’t been dating that long, but that’s when he crashed to Earth.”

“Ah.” As much as Barry wants to know the rest of _that_ story, now is not the time. “So you found out he’d been lying, and…?”

“And I realized that he hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the same selfish, thoughtless, arrogant, dude bro Daxamite.” She practically spits out the final word.

“I take it that’s another alien race?”

“Sister world of Krypton, got destroyed when Krypton died.”

“Got it.”

“I just… I thought maybe it could be something special, like what you have with Iris.”

_Oof._ “That is…” Barry looks away, “off track.”

Kara’s soft, heartfelt “I’m sorry” unsticks something inside Barry, and he gives her a quick rundown of the situation. “…it’s just a mess now,” he concludes, sighing and leaning back. “Everything’s so simple when I’m running.”

“Or flying,” Kara adds, wistfully.

A familiar yet angry voice interrupts the moment. “Shut up!” Startled, Barry looks off to his right. “Both of you,” the guy leaning against the desk continues.

“Professor Stein?”

“Who?”

“Right.” Barry turns away, dejected. Why can’t _one_ of these familiar faces be helpful? Or at least _nice_?

A door slams somewhere off to the left. Barry doesn’t look up until footsteps approach, and immediately sits up straighter.

“This them?” Probably-Not-Joe asks.

“Yeah,” Not-Stein replies.

“Hmm.” Not-Joe surveys them as he circles around to stand by Not-Stein. Barry feels like he’s a kid again, caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Of all the familiar faces in this Dream World, Joe’s cold gaze hurts the most. “Do you know who I am?” the man finally asks.

“Not Joe West, I’m guessing.” Barry meant it to be a quip like the Flash tosses off when fighting the bad guy of the week. Instead, it just comes out _sad._

Not-Joe doesn’t even bat an eye. “Digsy. Digsy Foss. I run this town.”

“So you’re the mayor?” Kara sounds disbelieving.

Foss and Not-Stein (who never introduced himself, Barry realizes) share a knowing look and a chuckle. “The mayor may have gotten the vote,” Foss replies, turning back to them, “but I got the power.” He takes a couple steps closer. “I got a situation that you two are gonna help me with.”

_Follow the script._ “We would love to help you with it,” Barry assures him, grateful that Kara readily agrees.

“My daughter, Millie…” Is that a tear in Foss’s eye? “She’s missing.” He holds out a hand, accepting the photo given by a nearby thug. “She was last seen heading into Cutter Moran’s place.” Barry’s stomach sinks as he reaches out to take the photo. Sure enough, Iris looks back at him, as beautiful as ever. “Have you seen her in there?”

Barry shifts the page slightly so Kara can see; she shoots him a sympathetic look. “Millie, did you say?” Barry stalls.

“Yeah, why?”

Barry clears his throat, swallows the words _She’s out in the real world_. “We haven’t seen her.”

Kara’s words overlap his. “I haven’t seen her.”

“She,” Foss continues, looking even more serious, “is the only thing that is good and decent about my life. If anything’s happened to her, this town will run red with blood.”

Barry doesn’t need to hear Not-Stein’s, “Starting with yours,” to understand just how serious this is. Musicals can still be violent.

“We wouldn’t want that now, right?” Barry forces a smile, looks to Kara for agreement. Her grin looks equally strained. “So,” he turns back to Foss, “how can we help you?”

“You two sing for Cutter.” Barry nods, even though it wasn’t a question. “You can poke around, see if you can find her. You gonna do this for me?”

“What are we gonna do?” Kara whispers.

Barry looks at her, sees the concern on her face. “Follow the script,” he reminds her softly.

“Hey!” Foss pulls their attention back, wearing a look reminiscent of Joe when he interrogates a suspect.

“We’re gonna find her,” Barry assures him. “Sir,” he adds, because it seems like a good idea. Kara hums in agreement.

“Good.” Foss doesn’t look relieved, per se, but he _does_ look less serious. Barry decides to take the win. The gangster looks away, motioning for one of his goons to come closer. “Mr. Michaels will show you out.” Foss turns his back to them, a clear dismissal. Barry clambers up from the sacks before reaching down to offer Kara a hand. Together, they follow Michaels out of the warehouse, into the sun.

Kara spends the trip back to the nightclub staring out the window of the car, arms wrapped around her torso as if to hug herself. The unusual posture worries Barry. Yes, there’s plenty of reasons to fret over their current situation, but he’s seen Kara in dire situations before, and this… this feels different.

They pull up in front of the club. Out of habit, Barry thanks the driver as he slides out, offering Kara a hand once he’s upright. “I need to change,” she states as the car drives away.

“Good idea.” Barry follows her inside. “Then we can start looking for Ir—Millie.”

Kara shoots him another sympathetic glance as they enter the building, but doesn’t say anything. The pair make their way upstairs to the dressing room area. Barry grabs the first shirt and pants he sees and ducks into a sheltered alcove to change, briefly wishing he still had his powers. _If wishes were horses…_ From the other side of the room, he hears Kara muttering in some foreign language. From the tone of her voice, it might be swearing. “You okay?”

“Women’s clothing in this place is a _pain._ ” Barry snorts; Dream World seems to inhabit the late 1940s, with clothing to match. Knotting his tie, he steps out of the alcove. Kara looks over a dressing screen at him. “Very dapper, Mr. Allen.”

“Why thank you,” he replies, offering a short bow as Kara’s face disappears again. “So,” he continues, pulling a sweater over his head, “where do we look first?”

“Well, she’s not back here.”

“Very funny.”

“I don’t think there’s anything else on this floor.” Kara steps out from behind the screen. Her slinky black dress has been replaced by a red, knee-length skirt and pink blouse with a deep V-neck. “Back downstairs?”

“Guess so.”

Even without their powers, it doesn’t take long to check the main floor of the club. Backstage, kitchen, onstage, dining room, bar, bathrooms: All devoid of the one person they need. Barry casually asks several employees if they’ve seen anyone matching Iris’s description, but no one has. “Now what?” he half-groans as they reach the coat check.

Kara shrugs helplessly. “We go for a walk?”

“Good idea,” a familiar voice replies. Barry jumps, spinning around to find Cis— _Pablo_ looking at them. “Heard you two were lookin’ for somebody. I know where to find her. Grab your coats.”

Barry and Kara do as they’re told. In minutes, they’re back outside, walking slightly behind Pablo. When it becomes clear their guide isn’t interested in talking to them, Barry turns his attention to Kara. “Are you okay?”

“I’m stuck in some weird dream world, what do you think?” At Barry’s pointed look, Kara sighs. “I just want to go home.”

“I do too, but you seem…”

“What?”

“Really worried. You know Alex and your cousin can take care of things, right?”

“I’m not worried about _them._ I’m worried about Lena.”

“The friend who was at your apartment?”

Kara nods, eyes straight ahead. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to see me get whammied like that.” Barry’s stomach lurches. How are _his_ friends and family reacting to this? “She’s lost so much in her life, and I just want to be her friend, but now she’s seen this _horrible_ thing happen--”

“ _Breathe_ , Kara,” Barry interrupts. “It’s okay. We’ll get home.”

Before Kara can respond, Pablo looks back at them. “In there,” he nods towards a plain building. Barry and Kara follow him in and up several flights of stairs. Barry’s crime scene training kicks in as they head down the hallway, his eyes taking in all the details. “This is the place,” Pablo announces, “apartment 4B.”

The building, while clean, is a distinct step down from the nightclub. “ _This_ is where we can find Iris?” Barry checks.

“Millie,” Kara corrects.

“Millie, right.”

“Yep. Now you two listen to me.” Pablo looks at them intently. “Don’t go tellin’ anyone I showed you this.”

“We promise,” Barry assures him.

“You go diggin’ around in this dirt, you may not like what you find.” With that, the waiter heads back the way they came.

“Ooo-kay?” Confused, Barry turns to watch him go.

“Remember,” Kara says as they turn back around, “she might look like Iris, but it’s not her.”

“I know, but it’s gonna be weird.”

“I know. I--”

A voice from inside the apartment, a very _familiar_ voice, cuts Kara off. “Oh my God!”

Barry’s stomach lurches. “That’s her! It sounds like she’s in trouble.” He pushes Kara aside. “Stand back, I’m gonna kick the door in.”

Kara pushes him back. “ _You_ stand back, _I’ll_ kick the door in!”

“I didn’t mean like a gender thing! I just wanted to kick--”

“Barry!”

“All right, together. All right?” Kara nods. “On three. One, two, _three!”_ Kara’s voice joins his on the final word. Their feet lash out at the same time, and the door springs open on contact. Barry half-runs inside, instinctively wanting to help the person who screamed. He only makes it a few steps before stumbling to a halt, extremely confused. Two bodies jump off the couch, trying to straighten their clothes. On the right, looking as pretty as ever, is Iris/Millie. Next to her, though…

_“Lena?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

Kara’s brain short circuits at the sight before her: Lena Luthor’s doppelgänger, wearing a green-and-white striped button-down blouse tucked into a tan skirt, dark hair disheveled and lipstick smudged, looking at her with a half-scared (or maybe startled), half-defiant look in her eyes, hand wrapped tightly around Millie’s. _Were they just… kissing?_

“What the hell is going on here?” Barry demands.

“Okay, you caught us.” Millie doesn’t seem too upset by this.

“We’re in love,” Not-Lena states.

 _Wait, what?_ There’s a roaring in Kara’s ears, and a strange feeling in her chest.

“Hey!” Not-Lena’s voice breaks through the noise. She sounds more like Kara expects, a person in charge. “Who are you? Your names. Now.”

It takes Kara a moment to respond. “I’m Kara, this is Barry. We’re, we’re singers at Cutter Moran’s nightclub.” Not-Lena flinches at that statement. _What’s that about?_

“Yeah,” Barry speaks up, “Millie, your father thinks you’ve been kidnapped.”

Millie rolls her eyes. “Well, clearly, he’s mistaken.”

“He really wants you to come home,” Kara states. _And I’d really like to know what in Rao’s name is going on._

“I am never going back there.”

“Why not? There’s no place like home.” _I can’t believe I just said that, and oh, is it true._

“Tommy Moran,” Millie places her free hand on Not-Lena’s shoulder and looks adoringly at her, “is my home.” Not-Lena— _Tommy_ turns to meet Millie’s gaze, smiling softly.

 _Well, that explains the flinch…_ Kara swallows, trying to ignore the fact that the strange sensation in her chest has somehow morphed into a leaden feeling in her stomach.

Tommy speaks up. “If our fathers ever caught wind of this,” she turns to look at Kara and Barry, “they’d go to war. It’d be the end of more than just us.”

“Tommy’s right.” Now Millie turns to face them, too. “Our fathers hate each other. Our love is forbidden.”

_Why’d I have to get stuck in a twisted version of The Fantasticks?_

“It’s like an updated West Side Story,” Barry murmurs. Despite her unease, Kara has to suppress a snort at the similarity of their thoughts.

“The point is,” Millie continues, a hard look in her eye, “we ain’t tellin’ nothin’ to nobody. And neither are you. Capisce?”

Kara’s ready to agree, just to get out of this apartment so she can try to make sense of these last few minutes. Barry, however, speaks up before she can. “Could you give us a minute?” He doesn’t wait for a response, but grabs Kara’s elbow and leads her a few steps towards the still-open door, turning their backs to the pair. “So that’s Lena? What’s she doing here?”

Kara swallows. “I have no idea.” She rubs at her stomach, hoping to ease the weird feeling there.

Barry gives her an odd look, but doesn’t comment on her action. “Okay… Look, _he_ ,” clearly referring to Annoying Magical Creep, “said we need to follow the script.” Kara nods. “We’re in a musical. So if we convince them to tell their fathers that they’re in love, maybe that will get us out of here?”

Kara nods again, seeing the logic. “And back home to…” _Lena, so I can figure this out._ “…being single.”

“At least we’ll be single together.”

“Saying that never made anyone feel better.”

“Debatable.” Barry gives her that odd look again. “You good with this plan?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kara winces at the defensive tone in her voice.

Barry sighs, though whether at her reaction or the situation is unclear. Instead, he spins to face the couple. Kara follows his lead, trying to ignore how her stomach churns at the way Millie and Tommy have cuddled up to one another again. “Okay!” Barry says, pulling the women’s attention to him again. “Look, your fathers aren’t perfect, right?”

 _“Love_ isn’t perfect,” Kara adds, doing her best to play along.

“No,” Barry agrees. Kara notices Millie nodding her head in agreement. “But, you can’t let your love for somebody cause you to be afraid of what might happen.” _Why is Barry looking at me again?_ “You,” his attention returns to the others, “gotta take the good with the bad, no matter what. And that includes telling your fathers how you two feel about each other.”

Kara quietly crosses her fingers, watching as Millie and Tommy mull this over. _Please, please, please…_

“All right,” Millie states, “you make a convincing argument.” Next to her, Tommy nods. “We’ll do it: We’ll tell them about us.”

The suddenness of this decision catches Kara off-guard; she can feel her jaw drop. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Barry’s similar reaction.

“We should go now,” Tommy speaks up. Kara can only stand there, in shock, as Tommy passes Millie her scarf before grabbing her own jacket. “Thank you,” Tommy says as she follows Millie out of the apartment.

Kara turns to Barry. “Wow, convincing people in musicals is… _easy._ ”

“Yeah.” Barry shakes himself a little. “Let’s hope getting out of one is just as easy.”

“Right.” With that, they follow the others out of the apartment.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the real world:_

Iris West sighs. The babble of voices around her has been going almost non-stop for far too long, every one talking over one another as they try to figure out what’s going on. _I’m going right to the source._ She doesn’t say anything to anyone else, just slips out of the main lab and heads for the cells. “Hey!” She turns to see Mon-El jogging up behind her. “Where are you going?”

Iris doesn’t slow down. “To get some answers.” Mon-El doesn’t say anything more, just falls into step next to her. If it were one of her friends, Iris wouldn’t mind the company, but she doesn’t really know Mon-El. What she’s seen so far hasn’t been very impressive: His overprotective attitude towards Kara strikes Iris as possessive in the wrong way, and he’s been rather sulky since the news of his break-up with Kara came to light. Then there was the way he’d hovered while Cisco, Wally, and J’onn went out to capture their Mystery Man; aside from a couple of snarky comments when J’onn revealed his true form, Mon-El hadn’t contributed anything to that effort. Okay, he’s in a strange place and it’s actually better that he stayed out of their way, but the whole time Iris had the distinct impression he was judging them and somehow found them lacking.

Iris mentally shakes herself as she turns into the appropriate tunnel. _Focus. Get Mystery Man to tell you what the hell he did to Barry. Worry about Mon-El later._ She strides up the ramp, barely pausing at the monitor to open the door. The heavy shield lifts away, revealing their latest guest lounging on the floor of his cell.

“Well, well, well,” he drawls, turning his head to look over at them, “if it isn’t one of the people I was most hoping to see. That’s you, Iris,” he continues, winking. “You,” he looks at Mon-El, “are the wrong person for the job.”

Beside her, Iris can feel Mon-El bristle. _Not my problem right now._ “What did you do to them?” Mystery Man just smirks at her. Iris’s temper flares. “Fix them. Now.”

“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t look or sound it. “I can’t.”

“If you ever want to get out of that cell,” Mon-El declares, “that’s exactly what you’re gonna do.”

Iris is shocked at Mon-El’s words, because at no point did she or anyone else at S.T.A.R. Labs give him that kind of authority. Before she can say anything, though, Mystery Man pipes up. “Again, you’re not s’posed to be here.” He chuckles, actually _chuckles_ , at the look on Mon-El’s face. “You don’t understand, big guy. _You_ can’t help her.”

Iris takes another step forward, pulling the man’s attention to her. “Wake them up,” she demands.

“You don’t get it,” he declares, standing up. “That’s just not how it works. My powers don’t work that way.”

“You’re the one that did this to them!” Iris argues.

“Yes, but _they’re_ the only ones in control of what happens to them now. As are you and…” He looks at Mon-El, shakes his head, and looks back at her, “someone else.”

 _All I want is a straight answer._ “What do you mean?”

Mystery Man looks at her intently. “How much do you love him, Iris? Who loves Kara that much? Because the question is: is that strong enough to save them? See, if you want Kara and Barry back from the world they’re in, you and that other person can go get them. _You_ have that power.”

Frustration overwhelms Iris. _“How?”_

Mystery Man opens his mouth… “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to figure it out for yourself. Although I will say you need to ditch Mr. Broody, here.” He shoots Mon-El a look of disgust that almost makes Iris laugh, despite the circumstances. “Now, I’m just gonna chill here in this _wonderfully_ decorated cell. Buh-bye!” Frustrated, Iris turns and storms off, barely listening to the man’s continued commentary. “Good luck! Love will find a way! You can do it! Power of love and all that!”

Iris’s mind buzzes as her feet carry her back to the main lab. _Love will find a way? Power of love? ‘How much do you love him?’ Who loves Kara that much? What does he mean Mon-El isn’t supposed to be here? Who IS supposed to be here?_ Thankfully, the room is quiet as she approaches; the spirited “discussion” she walked out on seems to have ended. She walks back in to find Cisco and J’onn hunched over one of the many screens. Both turn towards her as she approaches.

“Did you get anything useful out of him?” Cisco moves aside, letting her see the security feed from the cell bay.

“Sort of.”

“No,” Mon-El says simultaneously. Iris looks back as he strides in, sulking worse than ever. _Mr. Broody indeed,_ she thinks as he drops into one of the chairs scattered around.

Cisco looks between them. “Care to explain the conflicting answers?”

Iris recaps her conversation with Mystery Man. Oddly enough, when she mentions his question about ‘who loves Kara that much?’ J’onn gets a thoughtful look on his face.

Cisco notices, too. “J’onn? Something to share with the class?”

“I think I might know someone who can help us. I’ll need to return to my Earth to get them.”

Cisco promptly summons a breach in the lab’s open area. “You’ve got your beacon?”

J’onn holds up the remote breaching device to confirm. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” With a quick nod to Iris, he steps through the hole in the universe and vanishes.

* * *

_Dream World_

“Have you lost your mind?” Kara winces slightly at the tone of Cutter Moran’s voice, as it’s one that usually precipitates violence. Len— _Tommy_ doesn’t even flinch. “ _She_ is the _daughter_ of my _enemy_!” Moran continues, pacing furiously. “Digsy Foss is a dirty, rotten scoundrel, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree--”

“Dad, if you’ll just let me explain--”

“There’s nothing to explain, Tomasina!”

_Ooh, full name. Not good._

Moran slows, facing away from his daughter, sighing. “I knew you were keeping something from me, but I never imagined it was something like this!”

Tommy Moran is not Lena Luthor. Kara knows that. But that doesn’t mean she has to stand by and simply watch as this person gets ripped into this way. “I think you’re being a little hard on your daughter.”

Moran looks at her disbelievingly, like no one’s ever stood up to him before. “Excuse me?”

 _In for a penny…_ “Well, it’s obvious why she didn’t tell you right away. I mean, look at the way you’re reacting.” Kara walks over to stand by Tommy. Familiar green eyes look at her gratefully. “Doesn’t she deserve a chance to be happy?” There it is again, that sick feeling in Kara’s stomach. Why… _Oh, I think I know what that’s about._ Kara shakes herself; now’s not the time for self-discovery. _Follow the script._ “Doesn’t she?”

Surprisingly, Moran doesn’t shout at her or threaten her with a knife. Instead, he sits and looks to actually be considering what’s been said. Then he starts singing, something Kara vaguely recognizes from _Guys and Dolls_. As she listens to the lyrics, Kara realizes that he’s saying he accepts Tommy’s news. When the song ends, he looks Tommy right in the eye. “I appreciate your honesty, kid.”

Tommy rolls her eyes even as she smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Come here.” Moran reaches out and wraps her in a hug, tucking her head under his chin. They stand that way for several long moments, swaying a little. Eventually, Moran lets go. He nods to Kara before exiting the dressing room area, one of his henchmen following like a shadow.

“Thank you,” Tommy says as she watches them leave. “I don’t know if I could have told him without your support.”

“You’re welcome.” Kara looks over at the smaller woman. “So what now?”

“Now, I go find Millie, and we start our life together.” Tommy turns to face her, smiling. “It was nice to meet you, Kara.” She holds out her hand.

Kara does her best to return the smile as she takes the other woman’s hand in her own. “You too, Tommy.” _She’s not Lena, it’s okay that we’re not hugging, she’s not Lena…_ She lets go when Tommy loosens her grip. Watching the brunette walk away is almost physically painful, because Kara realizes now that she _hates_ the idea of Lena being happy with anyone else. Sighing, Kara sinks onto a nearby stool and rests her head in her hands. _Oh Rao, I’m in trouble._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, posting a new story and promising weekly updates during the crazy holiday concert season probably wasn't one of my brighter ideas... THANK YOU for your patience!

_Real World_

Iris has spent the last hour alternating between pacing the lab and sitting, staring at a monitor showing the security feed of the breach lab. Yes, J’onn promised to be back as soon as possible, and it could take a while to track down the person who can help Kara, but _how much longer can this take…_

“Hey,” Caitlin’s voice breaks into her thoughts. Iris looks up from the screen to see her friend standing in the doorway that leads to her medical lab and the infirmary. “Can I do anything for you?”

Iris appreciates the fact that Caitlin didn’t ask if she’s okay or anything else equally ridiculous. “No thanks. How are they?”

Caitlin sighs. “The same, although the power drain seems to have stopped for the moment.”

 _At least there’s SOME good news._ “Can you--” A flash on the screen grabs Iris’s attention. She waits just long enough to confirm that a breach has in fact opened before practically sprinting from the room. Vaguely, she hears Caitlin’s footsteps following her. They barely reach the lab before two figures appear and the breach collapses. J’onn appears as relaxed as Iris has ever seen him. Beside him stands a woman with long, dark hair. She gazes at her surroundings with mild interest, but Iris can tell her mind is elsewhere.

“Miss West, Doctor Snow,” J’onn greets them. “This is Lena Luthor. Miss Luthor, Iris West and Doctor Caitlin Snow.”

The woman, Lena, turns her attention to them. Iris recognizes the look in those green eyes; it’s the same worry she’s felt since the attack on Barry. “It’s nice to meet you,” Iris offers her hand. Crisis or no, she still has her manners.

“I wish it were under better circumstances,” Lena replies, grasping Iris’s hand in her own. “Where is she?”

“This way,” Caitlin offers, leading the way out of the lab. Lena quickly moves to walk beside the doctor and immediately begins peppering her with questions about Kara’s status. Iris follows, studying the new arrival. _Scientist of some kind, based on questions. Used to being in charge, based on mannerisms, but not too stand-offish. Tension in her shoulders; worry for Kara?_

“She’s the CEO of one of the biggest tech companies in our world,” J’onn offers quietly as he falls into step beside Iris. “And a brilliant scientist in her own right.”

Iris nods, grateful for the confirmation. “How much does she know about…”

“Enough for now. She’ll have to complete a mountain of paperwork at the DEO when we get back.”

“I doubt she’s worried about that right now.” J’onn offers a slight smile in response. They walk the rest of the way in silence. Iris lets the noise of Caitlin and Lena’s conversation wash over her as her thoughts wander back to the Mystery Man’s proclamations. _Lena clearly cares for Kara. But does she care_ that _way? J’onn apparently thinks she does. I wonder what he knows—_ A clattering sound pulls Iris’s attention back to her surroundings, just in time for her to avoid running into Caitlin from behind. Over her friend’s shoulder, Iris sees Mon-El standing up, glaring at them from his spot by Kara’s bed. Several feet behind him, one of the rolling chairs hits a table and bounces away. _That explains the noise._

“What are _you_ doing here?” Mon-El demands, looking right at Lena. His tone of voice and body language have Iris instantly on edge.

To her credit, Lena doesn’t budge an inch. “I could ask you the same question.” Her voice has become icy. “Especially since Kara just broke up with you.”

Mon-El only looks more infuriated by the reminder. He looks past Lena to J’onn. “I thought you went to get Alex!”

Iris feels her heart clench at the mention of Kara’s sister. _Hopefully J’onn gave her an update when he went back._

J’onn replies in a language Iris doesn’t recognize. He steps around the women as he talks, his firm tone holding Mon-El’s attention. Mon-El tries to cut him off in the same tongue, but J’onn simply talks over him. Iris watches in awe as J’onn claps a hand on Mon-El’s shoulder (rather hard, if Mon-El’s wince is any indication) and forcibly steers him from the room, all while continuing to lecture the young man in the same alien tongue.

As soon as Mon-El is out of the way, Lena makes a beeline for Kara’s side. She wraps her hand around the blonde’s as her eyes dart over the prone figure. She murmurs something; Iris catches the sound of Kara’s name but nothing else. If Iris didn’t know them, she’d have no trouble believing they were an item. _No wonder J’onn thought she could help._ Iris turns her attention to the figure on the bed next to Kara’s. _Barry…_

“Do you have any idea how to help her?” Lena’s voice pulls Iris back before her thoughts spiral downwards.

Caitlin catches Iris’s eye, her look clearly telling Iris to take the lead on this. Iris looks back at the newcomer. “Not yet. J’onn says you’re a scientist; do you know about meta-humans?” Lena nods. “Then maybe you can help us figure something out.” Iris starts explaining again, her heart oddly lighter. Somehow, she knows Lena’s the “someone else” Mystery Man talked about. _We’ll get them back._

* * *

_Dream World_

Barry’s insides churn with a mix of emotions as he returns to Moran’s nightclub: Happiness that Foss and his husband seem to have accepted Millie’s news, concern that things went just a little too easily, unease at the idea of Iris in a relationship with anyone else, and, growing more prominent by the second, worry about the fact that he’s still in this crazy dreamworld. _Maybe something went wrong here?_ “Kara!” he calls as he nears the top of the steps to the dressing room area. Silence. “Kara?” he tries again, pushing down the worry that surges up. Moran isn’t called “Cutter” for nothing. If he didn’t take the news as well as Foss… _If we die in here…_ Thankfully, he rounds the corner to find Kara sitting on a stool, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. He sighs in relief. “Kara,” he says again, walking towards her.

“Hey,” she replies, although she doesn’t otherwise move. “How’d it go with Foss?”

“Um, he’s amazingly okay with things.” Barry stops a couple of feet away, worry starting to rise again because she still isn’t looking at him. “How about here?”

“Good. All good, happy endings all around--”

Barry takes a couple of steps closer, drops to one knee, and reaches out, touching Kara’s shoulder. She cuts off mid-ramble. They stay that way for several moments. Finally, Kara lifts her head and looks at him. It takes Barry another moment to find his voice. “Have you been… _crying?_ ”

“A little.”

“What’s wrong?”

Kara lets out a small chuckle. “Oh, I just realized why Tommy looks like Lena.”

Immediately, Barry’s thoughts jump back to Kara’s reactions at the apartment. He thinks he knows where this is going. “Oh?”

“I like her. Like, _like_ her.” When she doesn’t continue right away, Barry nods encouragingly. “I mean, I’ve been attracted to women before but it’s never been this strong, and at first I thought we were just really good friends but if I didn’t like her like this then why would she be _here--_ ” The corner of Barry’s mouth curls up as Kara continues. He’d had his suspicions about Lena, both from what Kara’s said here and in past conversations. The news that his friend has feelings for a woman doesn’t change anything about his relationship with her. Honestly, he likes the idea of Kara and Lena a _lot_ better than the idea of Kara and Mon-El. “Barry?”

Barry blinks, focuses again on Kara’s face. She looks worried, like maybe he’ll be upset at her realization. “She makes you happy, right?” Kara’s face softens as she nods emphatically. “Then I can’t wait to meet the real her.” Kara breaks into one of her megawatt grins, and Barry can’t help returning the smile. _Of course, I can’t meet her until we get out of here…_ Barry’s grin fades as he stands up and starts pacing, his mood souring again. “But what do we do now? I mean, we got ‘Millie’ and ‘Tommy’ to tell their fathers that they’re in love--”

“—which I know we’re in a musical and everything,” Kara interrupts, “and I only just now realized how I feel about Lena, but seeing her with someone else--”

“—it’s hard to watch, I know.” Kara sighs in agreement as Barry comes to a halt. “Anyway, what are we supposed to do? What does this, this Music Meister,” he has no idea where that name came from, but it fits, “want from us?”

Kara starts to speak a couple of times, but doesn’t get anything out before Grady shows up, asking them if they’re ready to rehearse. At his words, Kara stands up and looks Barry right in the eye. “We have to finish the musical.” She asks Grady about original songs, the man sits at the piano, plays a few notes, and…

It’s like magic, Barry decides as he stumbles through the opening lyrics. Not only does he know the words to a song he’s never heard before, but his spirits are lifting, too, thanks to the knowledge that he’ll soon be going home to Iris. And, honestly, dancing and singing with Kara has to be one of his new favorite things, as is making her laugh with his bad-on-purpose Superman impersonation. Performing the whole thing for an audience, even an imaginary one, gives him a high similar to when he’s running or saving the day. Kara clearly feels it too, judging from her smile. They finish, the audience applauds, and Barry expects to wake up back at S.T.A.R. Labs any moment now.

Instead, he hears gunshots outside the club.

Barry doesn’t even think: He pulls Kara upright from their ending pose and dashes outside. Foss’s gang is off to his left, Moran’s to his right. Guns continue to fire; Barry can hear the ricochets from nearby buildings, the sidewalk, can hear other sounds as bullets lodge in cars and break windows. “Stop!” he yells, running out into the street. He hears a grunt behind him right before pain erupts in his right side, just below his armpit.

 _No superspeed,_ he has time to think just before he collapses to the pavement. Around him, he hears more gunshots, more grunts. “Barry!” Kara’s voice calls. She briefly appears in his field of view, right before another burst of gunfire. She cries out and disappears; vaguely, Barry realizes that she’s been shot, too.

 _I miss being bulletproof_. Kara’s earlier words flash through Barry’s mind. He misses his speed. He misses his family. He misses Iris. _If you die in here, you die out there._ Music Meister’s voice echoes in his mind. _How do I get out of this one?_ The pain is overwhelming. _Maybe if I close my eyes for just a moment…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have the final chapter posted within the week. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!


	5. Chapter 5

_Real World_

Without a doubt, this has been one of the longest, strangest days in Lena’s life. Any one of the million things that have happened (Kara breaking up with Mike, Kara being… _attacked_ , Kara being whisked away by Alex and Director Jones, Director Jones appearing in Lena’s office saying Kara needs her help, confirmation of the multiverse theory, actually _travelling to_ another Earth, talking to scientists from said other Earth about metahumans) would normally be enough to occupy Lena’s mind for hours; by rights, she ought to be completely overwhelmed with all of this new information. Right now, though, her concern for Kara mutes all of that, pushes it to the side.

Good news: The people of Earth-1 ( _Who decided on that label?_ ) have apparently apprehended the man who showed up at Kara’s door and did this to her. Bad news: He attacked one of their own before they managed to catch him. The other affected individual lies in the bed next to Kara’s. Iris and Caitlin confirmed Lena’s query about Barry’s metahuman status; based on the costume he wears, Lena guesses he’s also a hero, although she has doubts about how he stacks up to Supergirl.

Heart clenching at the thought, Lena squeezes her hand, reassuring herself through touch that Kara is still there. Caitlin has stepped out for the moment, but Iris stands by Barry’s side, a lost, heartbroken look in her eyes. The expression hits close to home for Lena, and she imagines that, if she were to look in a mirror, she’d see the same look in her own eyes. She desperately wants to say something, to reassure the other woman that things will work out, but she can’t find the words. Optimism is Kara’s job. _We HAVE to figure out a way to get them back._

Beneath her, Kara suddenly starts to shake, the movement immediately followed by the blaring of the monitor as the blonde’s vitals go haywire. “Kara? Kara!” Vaguely, Lena hears Iris shouting at Barry, and realizes the man is also seizing.

A tide of people surge into the room. “What’s happening?” Director Jones asks as he stops beside Lena.

“I think we’re losing them,” Caitlin replies as she rushes to Barry’s side.

“Can you stop it?” Jones demands.

“Not if I don’t know why!” At Caitlin’s words, a vice tightens around Lena’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Then, what are we going to do?” The young African-American man who asks this looks lost.

Iris looks around frantically, until she catches Lena’s eye. She looks at the CEO for a long moment, clearly thinking. “We need to go to whatever world they’re in,” she announces.

“How’re you going to do that?” asks a man who frankly looks more like a musician than a scientist. He emphasizes both his question and Lena’s impression of him by waving a set of drumsticks around.

Iris glances at him briefly before turning her attention back to Lena. “Look,” she says, earnestly, “he said that if we love them enough,” Lena’s insides turn a somersault at the words but she doesn’t interrupt, “we can save them wherever they are. Cisco,” she turns to the long-haired scientist who had briefly poked his head in when Lena arrived, “you can vibe us there.”

He looks startled. “I don’t think it works that way.”

“You sent me into the Speed Force,” ( _The what now?_ ), “you sent Barry and Wally into the future,” ( _WHEN?_ ), “you can do this, too!”

“What’s she talking about?” Jones sounds as confused as Lena feels. “What’s a vibe?”

“I’ll explain later,” Cisco promises as he moves to stand by the heads of the gurneys, pulling on a pair of what look to be high-tech sunglasses. “Look,” he directs at Lena, nodding at Kara, “just grab on to my shoulder and her shoulder.” Lena moves quickly to do as he says, noting Iris moving to a similar position on his other side. Meanwhile, Cisco lays his own hands on the unoccupied shoulders of the prone figures. “Let’s hope this works.”

Lena feels an odd falling sensation, similar to what she felt in the portal between worlds. She blinks, and when her eyes open she’s standing next to Iris in the middle of a street. She barely has time to register the distinct art deco atmosphere before Iris screams, “Barry!” and takes off to where two bodies lie in the road. Lena briefly registers that one of them is, in fact, the man from the infirmary, before realizing that the other one is “Kara!”

Lena stumbles as she runs, dropping to her knees next to Kara. In a golden dress and opera gloves, makeup done to perfection, the blonde would be a vision if not for the horrid bloodstain on her abdomen. Lena forces herself not to look at it, not to imagine the matching wound underneath. _This isn’t real. Kara’s going to be fine. This isn’t real._ Instead, Lena focuses on the blonde’s face, on the way Kara’s brilliant eyes meet hers with confusion and… happiness? “Stay with me, Kara,” Lena begs. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”

Kara’s hand grips Lena’s arm. “No time,” she says, her breathing labored.

Terrified by Kara’s words, Lena looks over at Iris. “We have to get out of here! _How do we get out of here?”_

Iris looks just as confused, just as lost as Lena feels. She turns back to Barry, murmuring to him. Lena turns back to Kara. _So close, we’re so close. How do I save her?_ Kara’s eyes start to drift closed. “Hey, hey, look at me,” Lena insists, putting her hand on Kara’s cheek. “Stay with me, Kara.”

Blue eyes open again. “Glad I got to see you one last time.” She manages a small smile. “Wanted to tell you…” her voice trails off in a groan of pain.

“Kara!” Helplessly, Lena looks once more to Iris, just in time to see the other woman lean forward and kiss Barry. Golden light envelopes them, blinding Lena. When it fades, the couple have vanished. “The power of love,” Lena murmurs, realizing the truth of Mystery Man’s words to Iris. Apprehensive, she turns back to Kara. _I like her, but do I love her?_

Thankfully, Kara’s eyes are still open, although her breathing is more labored. “You’re beautiful,” the blonde manages between pants.

Lena ignores the blush she can feel rising to her cheeks. “Kara, I have to kiss you. It’s the only way to get you home.”

“No… place… like it.” Despite sagging eyelids, Kara still musters up a smile and a tiny nod.

_This is SO not how I thought this might happen._ Lena leans down and gently places her lips on Kara’s, reveling in the softness and warmth. Golden light flares and surrounds them. When it fades, Lena realizes she’s standing in the infirmary again, bent over the gurney, still kissing Kara. She pulls back slowly, relieved and joyful when Kara briefly follows her. Her eyes flutter open as Kara murmurs her name, grateful beyond imagining that Kara’s looking at her with nothing but affection.

Lena straightens up slowly, giving Kara a moment to orient herself. She notices Iris doing the same as Barry scans the room, clearly taking stock. He catches Lena’s eye briefly and gives the smallest of nods before looking to Kara, grinning when he sees her awake. The musician is crowing about their return, and Lena glances over just in time to see Mike stalk out of the room. A triumphant feeling flickers through Lena’s chest, especially when she feels Kara’s hand on hers. Lena turns back to her friend— _no, something else now, we’ll have to talk about that_ —and supports Kara as the blonde sits up, carefully removing sensors.

Applause, loud and jarring, shatters the moment. “Bravo!” A familiar voice pulls Lena’s attention back to the door to see Mystery Man striding in like he owns the place. “A round of applause, standing ‘o’, that was so GOOD!” He stops at the foot of the beds, behind the musician. “I loved it! That was a hell of a show. And you two,” he looks at Iris and Lena, “I guess your love was strong enough after all. Beautiful.”

Lena’s ready to rip into this man, because who gave him the right to mess with people like this? Cisco speaks up first. “Man, how did you get out of the cell?”

“Cisco,” the man looks at him condescendingly, “did you really think that cell could hold me?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Barry intervenes, sitting up, “what’s going on? Why’d you do this to us?”

Annoying Mystery Man gets a funny smile on his face. “I did it because I believe in the good guys.” Lena glances around, catches similar looks of disbelief on the others’ faces. Mystery Man either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, because he continues, talking directly to Barry. “I told you when we first met: It was to teach all of you a lesson. ‘Cause I see everything. And I saw two people,” he motions to Barry and Kara, “with two broken hearts.”

Kara scoots forward on her bed. “So the lesson was…”

“Love, Supe—Kara.” He winks at the blonde. Lena feels the other woman tense beside her, but the slip only confirms something she’s suspected for a while now. _We’ll talk about that later, too._ “Love,” he continues, “is about letting yourself be saved. It’s not just about saving other people, even if you are a superhero. Anyway,” his voice takes on a jauntier tone, “I’m sorry I had to like, mess with you and all, but I was just trying to get you to play the game, do the song and dance.” He shuffles from side to side, snapping his fingers.

“Are you,” the musician speaks up, “from another Earth, multiverse, something?”

Mystery Man blows air past his lips. “Yeah, you,” he chuckles, “you wouldn’t even _understand_ where I come from.” He starts walking away.

“Wait,” Barry calls. Mystery Man turns back. “I’m sorry, that’s it? You’re just going to teach someone else a lesson?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.” A cocky grin appears on his face, and he starts to _sing_ , backing out the door as he does so. “Think of your fellow man. Lend him a helping hand. Put a little love in your heart.” His voice starts to echo on the last line, and on the last word, he simply… _vanishes._

The people around Lena start to talk, to speculate and wonder. Under other circumstances, she’d probably join them. Right now, though, she’s more focused on the fact that Kara’s _here_ , that she’s _okay._ As if reading her mind, Kara looks at Lena and smiles, pulling the brunette into a hug. Lena goes willingly, tucking her face into Kara’s neck and inhaling deeply. Conversation can wait.

* * *

_Earth-38_

Alex Danvers doesn’t know if she’ll ever get used to the idea of a multiverse. Then again, she eventually got used to the fact that aliens exist, so… She sighs and continues pacing. Used to it or not, the fact is that her sister and boss/mentor/pseudo-father have been _on another Earth_ for the last 15 hours. And Kara was attacked three hours before that, and when J’onn briefly returned to this Earth he reported no change in her condition… _Breathe, Danvers._ Alex forces herself to stand still and take a deep breath. _In, out. In, out. She’ll be okay. She HAS to be okay._

“Incoming!” Winn hollers as he skids into the training room.

“Why are you announcing _your_ arri—oh.” Alex cuts herself off as an inter-universal portal appears in the middle of the room. Winn stumbles up beside her as a figure appears in the breach. Alex’s heart stutters, but it’s just Mon-El. “Where’s Kara?” she demands.

“She’s fine.” Is it Alex’s imagination, or is the Daxamite sulking? “She’s on her way.” He stomps out.

Winn shoots Alex a confused look, but Alex’s attention has already returned to the portal. Several long moments later, J’onn appears, looking much more relaxed than on his previous trip back. Two other people appear just before the portal collapses: Kara, upright and conscious, and holding hands with… _Lena?_

As soon as she catches sight of Alex, Kara drops the brunette’s hand and runs (at human speeds) over to wrap Alex in as tight a hug as the elder Danvers can stand. Actually, it’s a little too hard, but Alex doesn’t care; she’ll accept a few bruises because it means her sister is _here_ and _whole_ and _safe_. Alex feels another set of arms wrap around her, and she and Kara shift to fit Winn into the embrace.

Eventually, they pull apart, and Alex takes a good look at Kara. The Kryptonian looks a little pale, a little drained, like she might after a particularly intense fight. But she’s smiling at her sister and friend, and the sight makes the invisible bands around Alex’s chest finally release. “Hi,” she offers. Her voice wavers a bit, and Alex notices that her eyes look a little watery behind her glasses.

“Hi,” Alex replies, her own voice shaky. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.” Kara doesn’t argue, although she does look over Alex’s shoulder briefly before nodding. Alex turns her own head in time to see Lena nodding in return just before she allows J’onn to lead her from the room. _I wonder…_ She turns back to her sister, a half-teasing, half-serious look on her face. “And while you’re recharging, you can tell me what’s going on with you and Lena.”

Kara rolls her eyes, but she smiles, too.

After several hours under the sun lamps, Kara _finally_ convinces Alex to let her leave the infirmary. She knows, can _feel_ , that it was necessary; not only the time under the lamps, but the conversations she had with Alex and Winn as they kept her company. But there’s another friend ( _more than friend_ ) she hasn’t seen since arriving back on her Earth, and said person has been hurt before by people lying to her, and Kara’s been lying-by-omission to her since they met— _Breathe, Kara._ _Go talk to her._ Pausing outside the infirmary door, Kara closes her eyes and listens for Lena’s heartbeat. She quickly zeroes in on the familiar sound, relieved that the next nearest heartbeat is fifty feet away in a different room. Opening her eyes, Kara zips off at superspeed. She stumbles slightly as she stops at the door of the conference room, and admits to herself that maybe a little more time under the sun lamps couldn’t have hurt. Noting that someone darkened the windows to provide Lena privacy, Kara lightly knocks before pushing open the door.

The conference room lights have been dimmed, perhaps in deference to the late hour. Lena Luthor sits at the near end of the table, several stacks of paper in front of her, face cast in a breathtaking array of highlights and shadows even in the low light. She looks up at the sound of the door opening, concentration and worry disappearing from her face as her eyes meet Kara’s. “Kara,” she breathes, and the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth sends Kara’s heart rocketing into overdrive.

“Hi.” Kara smiles and drags the nearest chair over to sit next to Lena. She glances down at the papers and grimaces slightly when she realizes their contents. “You know, J’onn would probably understand if you didn’t fill all of those out tonight.”

Lena looks back down at the page of legalese that is part of the DEO’s extensive non-disclosure agreement. She shrugs. “Maybe, but I… I needed something to do. I’ve felt a little useless over the last day.” Kara immediately reaches out and gently wraps her hand around Lena’s. The brunette offers her a slight smile. “Besides, I didn’t think Alex would want me hovering while she examined you.”

“You’re probably right,” Kara admits. “Although I think she’d have allowed it, since you saved my life and all.” She feels heat rising in her cheeks at the memory of exactly _how_ Lena saved her. Lena ducks her head, trying to hide the pink on her own cheeks, but Kara sees a small smile tugging at the corner of the other woman’s mouth. _She’s smiling! Does that mean she feels the same way about me? We should talk about that. After I admit I’ve been lying to her since we met._ Kara’s insides twist. _Rao, I hope she forgives me._ “Um, I owe you an apology.”

Lena’s shoulders stiffen minutely as she lifts her head, but her voice remains steady as she asks, “Why?”

“I… um…” Kara takes a deep breath. “I haven’t exactly been truthful with you.”

Lena tenses more and withdraws her hand from the blonde’s grasp. “What are you saying, Kara?”

“I’m Supergirl,” Kara rushes out, panicking at the physical distance and the way she can hear Lena’s heartbeat speed up, “and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, I know you hate being lied to, but it’s kind of a big thing and as much as I wanted to believe in you there was this little voice in my head that sounded _a lot_ like Alex and J’onn, and it said that trusting a Luthor was a bad idea, but I still really wanted to be your friend and I figured that would also be a good way to prove you were trustworthy, and…” She realizes Lena has neither cut her off nor stormed out of the room. “…you’re taking this a lot better than I expected.”

“Well, I won’t say I’m not hurt,” Lena holds up a hand to forestall further rambling from Kara, “but I do understand. And you’re telling me now, which is something. Besides,” her eyes twinkle, “I figured it out on my own.”

A slightly hysterical laugh escapes Kara. “You did?” She shakes her head. “What am I saying? Of course you did, you’re a genius, I don’t know why I’m surp---” She cuts off as Lena’s hand grips hers once more. Her gaze returns to the brunette smiling fondly at her. Kara offers her own sheepish grin. “Out of curiosity, what gave me away? I mean, Alex keeps telling me I’m a terrible liar, but I think I do okay…”

Lena smirks. “Six words: ‘I flew here on a bus’.”

Kara groans. “ _Seriously?”_

Lena laughs, the sound lightening Kara’s mood immediately. “Well, it wasn’t _just_ that. But it was definitely a hint.” The smirk returns. “And glasses and a ponytail aren’t quite as effective a disguise as you seem to think.”

“They are so!”

Lena shakes her head, chuckling. “Only to anyone who doesn’t know you very well.”

“That’s still the overwhelming majority of the population.” Kara can’t resist a cheeky grin, which widens when Lena laughs outright. She flips her hand over and tangles her fingers in the brunette’s, loving that she can do this now. _Wait, CAN I do this?_ Lena hasn’t pulled her hand away, but still… _How do I even start at this conversation?_ “I realized something, while I was in the… dream world.”

Lena arches her brow. “Oh?”

“I realized…” Kara gulps and looks down at their joined hands as her cheeks heat up. “I realized that, as much as I like having you for a friend, I like you as _more_ than a friend.” Silence reigns for several long moments. Kara keeps her eyes trained firmly on their hands, taking reassurance in the fact that Lena didn’t immediately pull away, She resolves not to speak until Lena does, even though it takes an almost physical effort to keep a lid on her usual nervous babble.

“Me, too.” Lena speaks so quietly that without Kara’s super-hearing, she would be hard-pressed to distinguish the brunette’s words. But her heightened senses pick them up easily, and Kara’s gaze immediately snaps up to the other woman’s face. Now Lena’s the one focused on their hands, her cheeks flushed. _She likes me? She likes me!_ Kara feels another smile tugging at her lips. She waits to see if Lena will continue to speak, but the brunette merely continues to sit there, twining her fingers with Kara’s. Her shoulders start to tense up again, and Kara decides to act.

“Hey,” Kara tugs gently at Lena’s grip, and the other woman finally looks back up at her. “We’ve both had a long day, I’m exhausted and I imagine you are too, let’s just get you home. We can talk more about, about _us_ tomorrow, and you can definitely finish all of this,” she motions at the stacks of paper, “tomorrow, I know J’onn won’t mind but if he does I can--” Kara stops as Lena starts laughing again, pleased with herself for pulling Lena out of whatever thoughts had started to pull her down.

“Home sounds good,” Lena says once her laughter dies down. “Can you help me tidy up while I call my driver?”

“Actually… I… I know flying’s not your favorite way to travel, but I could… that is, would you want me to fly you back to your place? Then you wouldn’t have to bother your driver or wait for them or sit in traffic…” Kara trails off, suddenly unsure of herself, worried that she sounds pathetic. _I mean, I said we’d wait until tomorrow to talk, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t spend time together now, right? Oh no, what if she’s TERRIFIED of flying, and now I’ve gone and suggested she do something that scares—_

Lena’s voice breaks into Kara’s thoughts. “That… that actually sounds… nice.”

“Lena, I’m sorry, you don’t have to, I just wanted to spend more time with you and my mouth got ahead of my brain--”

“Kara,” Lena cuts her off. “You don’t need to apologize. I… I actually like the idea of you flying me home.”

Kara does, too, loves the idea of getting to hold Lena in her arms, but she also doesn’t want to force her more-than-friend into anything she doesn’t want to do. “You’re sure?”

Lena looks her right in the eye. “Positive.” She squeezes Kara’s hand before letting go and turning back to the piles of paperwork. “I just need a moment to clean all of this up.”

“Right,” Kara manages, stuck on the fact that _she gets to take Lena flying._ “I, uh,” she looks down at herself, “I need to change.” She zips out of the room as Lena chuckles again. _I love having my powers back._ She makes it to the locker room, changes into her suit, and returns to the conference room barely a minute after leaving.

“Right: Superspeed,” Lena shakes her head, chuckling, as she finishes compiling all the papers into one stack.

“Do you want to leave those here? I can make sure J’onn puts them somewhere safe.”

“Actually,” Lena looks down, signs the top sheet with a flourish, “I’m done, so they can _definitely_ stay here.”

“I’ll let J’onn know,” Kara replies, even as she sends him a telepathic message. He replies a moment later, confirming that yes, he’ll come get the papers and yes, he’ll wait until they’ve left. “Did you have a bag or anything with you?” Lena shakes her head. “Follow me.” Kara leads the way out of the conference room, along the walkway, and down a short flight of stairs. The doors to the balcony open automatically, and Kara steps out, breathing deeply. _It’s good to be home._ A clicking sound off to her right pulls her eyes to where Lena has just stepped out behind her. The brunette has wrapped her arms around herself; at first, Kara thinks Lena is cold (it _is_ March, after all), but quickly realizes that, protestations to the contrary, Lena is maybe just a _little_ nervous at the idea of flying with Kara. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Kara’s heart swells slightly at the absolute honesty in Lena’s reply. Kara positions herself behind Lena, placing her right arm next to the other woman’s back. “Going up,” she quips as she stoops to place her other arm behind Lena’s legs and gently sweeps them out from under her. “You should put—you got it,” she compliments as Lena’s arms snake around Kara’s shoulders and neck.

“I remembered,” Lena murmurs, cheeks pinking slightly.

It takes Kara a moment to remember plucking Lena from mid-air as the brunette tumbled off the L-Corp tower just over a week ago, and she realizes just _how much_ the past day has messed with her. _Then again, at the time I didn’t realize that I liked her as anything other than a friend…_ Lena shifts slightly, pulling Kara back to the present. “Let’s get you home.”

No matter how long she lives, Kara knows that this flight with Lena will always be one of her favorite memories. A light breeze, courtesy of Kara’s leisurely pace, flows around them, and the lights of various buildings and signs create a dazzling array of color underneath them. When they first take off, Lena clings to Kara, muscles tight, her face turned more towards Kara’s than the view around them. By the time they reach her balcony, she’s more relaxed, and has spent the last few minutes actually looking at the various sights Kara points out to her.

Considering how recently she’s realized her feelings for Lena, Kara finds herself strangely reluctant to put the other woman down once they land. But then Lena says, “Thank you,” and starts shifting, so Kara crouches slightly and eases the brunette’s legs to the floor. A sudden, potentially problematic thought passes through the hero’s mind. “Um, can you get in to your apartment from here?”

Thankfully, Lena chuckles. “There’s a keypad by the balcony door.”

Kara’s eyes dart to the indicated area, relieved to see that Lena is right. She chuckles, too. “Oh good, because that would have been really embarrassing otherwise.”

“So you would have had to drop me off at the front door,” Lena says. “What would be so embarrassing about that?”

Kara suddenly becomes aware of the fact that, while she has set Lena down, her right arm has settled around the CEO’s waist. Surprisingly, Lena doesn’t seem to mind; in fact, her arms have shifted so that her left rests on _Kara’s_ waist and her right hand rests on the top of the crest of the House of El. Kara swallows, trying to work moisture back into her suddenly-dry mouth. “Well,” she manages, “for one thing I don’t know that the world is quite ready to see us like _this._ ”

Surprisingly, wonderfully, Lena doesn’t pull away, although she tenses slightly, clearly ready to do so if necessary. Kara gently squeezes her waist, and the brunette relaxes again. “You’re probably right. Besides, I don’t think I’m ready to share this with the world just yet.”

_And we’ll have to talk about if the world knows that you’re dating Supergirl or Kara, and then be really careful about not dropping hints otherwise or else other people will start figuring out I’m both_ —Kara shakes her head slightly, chasing the intrusive thoughts away. Yes, they will need to talk about all of that, but as she already promised Lena, that can wait until tomorrow. Besides, she quite likes the idea of keeping this to themselves (and their friends and family) for a little while. “Me either.” Lena looks up at her (Kara had been a little surprised to realize the other woman wasn’t wearing her usual stilettos) with a soft smile on her face, and Kara feels her heart melt. _Whatever this is, I’m glad it’s with you._

She must have spoken out loud, because Lena flushes and ducks her head, although her smile remains. “I believe,” she says, voice a little lower than usual, “you said something about talking tomorrow?”

Kara nods. “Call me whenever you’re ready.” Lena nods, her fingers idly tracing the top of the crest. Kara knows she should let Lena go inside, should head home and get some actual, quality sleep (she feels tired in a way that she normally associates with a hard fight), but Lena shows no signs of wanting to go inside, and while Kara hopes, knows this won’t be the last time she stands with Lena like this, she’s still reluctant to let her go…

Lena sighs, straightening up, and Kara suddenly realizes how the brunette had been leaning in to her. “You should go, you need rest.”

Kara immediately worries that Lena plans to head for her home lab or her laptop. “So do you.”

Lena chuckles. “I promise, as soon as you leave, I’m heading right to bed.” Kara immediately resolves to double back and check on her in a little bit. As if she can read the blonde’s mind, Lena looks up and meet’s Kara’s eyes. “Don’t even think about flying back here, Kara. I mean it.”

Kara laughs. “Okay, okay. I’ll fly straight home.”

“Text me when you get there?”

Lena’s eyes widen, as if the question slipped out without her permission. Kara just grins. “Of course.” Lena relaxes again. Kara’s gaze zeroes in on her lips, remembering how soft they felt against her own. “Um, I know we said we’d talk about this tomorrow, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to, but can… Can I kiss you goodnight?”

Lena blushes, but she also smiles and pushes herself up on her toes. Kara lowers her head slightly, angling a little to her right, and… _there._ Kara’s eyes close and she loses herself in the sensation of kissing Lena. _Home. She feels like home, and there’s definitely no place like it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we reach the end of another fic. I'll admit, I originally planned for this to be a one-off, but now my brain is trying to figure out how this re-write would affect other episodes/storylines, so who knows? Anyway, thanks for reading, and especially thanks to those who left comments!


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